Candidates running for the two Tucson-area congressional seats in 2026 are already raising big money.
Campaign finance reports covering the first three months of the year had to be filed with the Federal Elections Commission by April 15.
In the race for Congressional District 6, huge sums of cash have already flowed in for Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani and Democratic challenger Joanna Mendoza.
Ciscomani’s campaign reported entering the year with over $236,000 ($236,560.89) on-hand and raising over $660,000 through March. Nearly $260,000 came from individual donors, and over $400,000 came from PACs and “Political Party Committees.”
The campaign also reported receiving over $589,000 in transferred funds, all of which came from the Ciscomani Victory Fund. In its own April 15 filing, the fund reported raising nearly $592,000 through March.
Ciscomani’s campaign reported spending over $248,000 through March, and entering April with over $1.2 million on-hand.
Mendoza, the Democratic challenger, reported raising over $816,000 through March, in an April 15 filing, with $13,000 of that from PACs, according to her filing.
Her campaign reported spending over $90,000 through March, entering April with nearly $726,000 on-hand.
JoAnna Mendoza, a Democrat running for the Congressional District 6 seat currently held by Juan Ciscomani, has already raised more than $800,000, campaign-finance filings show.
In the race for Congressional District 7, now vacant after the passing of Raul Grijalva on March 13, three candidates have filed campaign finance reports over the first three months of the year.
Daniel Hernandez, the former Democratic state lawmaker, reported raising about $326,450 — $36,000 of which came from PACs — spending over $31,000 and entering April with over $295,000 on-hand.
Republican Daniel Butierez, who lost to Grijalva in the 2024 election, reported raising over $18,800 through the first three months of the year. He also reported loaning himself $136,470. Butierez reported spending over $23,700 and entering April with over $132,000 on-hand.
Jorge Rivas, a Republican, reported raising nearly $9,000 and spending $6,072 through March. He entered April with over $2,900 on-hand, according to his filing.
Democrat Adelita Grijalva, the former representative’s daughter, did not file a campaign-finance report because her campaign began at the end of this reporting period.
Ciscomani on Medicaid, again
Ciscomani challenged fellow Republicans over Medicaid in a letter Thursday to House GOP leaders.
The Tucson congressman and 12 other Republican members pointed out their importance to the party’s control of the House in asking that leaders protect the health-care program for the poor.
“As Members of Congress who helped to deliver a Republican Majority, many of us representing districts with high rates of constituents who depend on Medicaid, we would like to reiterate our strong support for this program that ensures our constituents have reliable healthcare,” the letter opens.
“Balancing the federal budget must not come at the expense of those who depend on these benefits for their health and economic security.”
It goes on to say they won’t vote for significant cuts, which in a narrowly divided House would defeat any such proposal.
U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani has already raised more than $660,000 for his 2026 reelection campaign, finance records show.
“We cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,” the letter says.
In a telephone town hall last week, Ciscomani said he wants to protect Medicaid benefits for those who need them, but when pressed, he explained he also supports removing coverage for able-bodied adults without dependents.
Ciscomani is vulnerable going into the 2026 election, serving as he does in a district with a narrow Republican advantage. Traditionally, the party holding the White House loses some competitive seats like his in midterm elections.
Plus, Democrats have been hammering him over his vote for a preliminary resolution that would lead to deep cuts in Medicaid.
Heinz targets PAG/RTA head
Matt Heinz could hardly wait to throw down a gauntlet, it seems.
Minutes after the Pima County supervisor was confirmed as the county’s new representative on the Pima Association of Governments and Regional Transportation Authority boards, he sent a letter to the PAG board’s chair, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.
In the letter, he asked Romero to set an agenda item for the board to review executive director Farhad Moghimi’s performance, as early as the board’s meeting Monday.
It’s not the first time Heinz has targeted Moghimi, who is viewed with suspicion by Heinz and some Tucson officials. Among other things, they see him as favoring suburban jurisdictions over the region’s biggest city in his management of the Regional Transportation Authority.
Heinz replaced former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva on the PAG and RTA boards. Before that, Pima County board chair Rex Scott was on those boards. And Scott tried to resume that run Tuesday, offering himself as an alternative to Heinz as the county’s representative on the board.
His motion died for lack of a second, and Scott went on to vote with the other three present supervisors in voting to put Heinz on the RTA board.
CD 7, District 5 and Ward 5
A small patch of Tucson’s south side is losing its elected member of Congress, its elected Pima County supervisor and its elected Tucson City Council member this spring.
After Rep. Raul Grijalva died on March 13, his daughter, Adelita Grijalva, resigned from her seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors to run to replace him.
That means the residents of Congressional District 7 and Pima County Supervisors District 5 both lost their representatives. Then Richard Fimbres announced he is planning to resign from representing Tucson’s Ward 5 on May 1.
A small patch of land south of the Tucson Rodeo Grounds in the Sunnyside neighborhood was represented by all three of the elected officials who have left or are leaving their offices. The area is loosely bounded by Irvington Road to the north, South Nogales Highway to the west, South 12th Avenue to the west and West Valencia Road to the south.
The Pima County Recorder’s Office says there are 4,436 voters registered in all three jurisdictions.
